Ribbon-feed mechanism for type-writers.



N0. 677,1". Patented June 25, 1901. B. A. BROOKS.

RIBBON FEED MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

(Application filed May 19, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 627M. Patented June 25, I90l. B. A. BROOKS. RIBBON FEED MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

(Application filed my 19, 1900.)

4 Shanty-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

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WITNESSES: w 59 No. 677,|||. Patented June 25, l90l B. A. BROOKS.

RIBBON FEE'D MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

(Application filed May 19, 1900. (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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No. 677,Hl. Patented June 25, I90l.

B..A. BROOKS. RIBBON FEED MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

(Application filed Iay 1.9, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

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BYRON A. BROOKS, OF BROOKLYN, NEl/V YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNION TYPE= WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

RIBBON-FEED MECHANISM FOR TYPE-WRITERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,111, dated June 25, 1901.

Original application filed April 26, 1894, Serial No. 509,086- Divided and this application filed May 19,1900. Serial No- 17,185. (N model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BYRON A. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, (borough of Brooklyn,) in the cou nty of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Ribbon-Feed Mechanism for Type-Writers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. is My invention consists of novel means for operating the ribbon of type-writers, and comprises certain novel parts and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the I 5 claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a typewriter, showing my device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a typewriter with my device attached. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of parts of the type- 2 5 writer, illustrating my device. Fig. 4 shows in diagrammatic form the manner of using the surface of the ribbon in printing the let ters, and Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation showing the ribbon-feeding device.

The following is a description of the construction shown in the accompanying drawihgs, the same illustrating the form which is at present preferred by me, although it is possible to change the construction of many of these parts without essentially altering the invention.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 509,086, filed by me on the 26th day of April, 1894.

The inking-ribbon R herein shown is Wound upon two spools B, located as in the ordinary type-writer, and said spools are provided with turning mechanisms, by which the ribbon is gradually shifted from one to the other by the operation of the machine. This ribbon is interposed between the types and the platen and vibrates toward and from the platen at each printing impulse. This is accomplished by means of a fork H, which is pivoted to a rocking lever I, said lever being fulcrumed upon a rod I. One end of the ribbon-fork is connected by means of a link It with an arm or lever H, which is engaged by a projection J, extending from a bar J, which extends across the machine and just above the key-levers K, so that by the operation of any one of the key-levers the bar J is elevated, thus forcing upward the link h, and thus throwing the ribbon downward, or toward the platen P. The ribbon is also given a motion transversely of the platen by vibrating the bell-crank lever I, to which the fork II is pivoted. This is herein shown as ac complished by means of a cam which engages the lower or horizontal arm of the bell-crank lever, so as to give it a vibrating movement while the carriage is traveling across the machine. This cam is herein shown as consisting of a plate O, which is secured to the carriage O and is provided with azigzag slot, so that the lever I is given aseries of reciprocations during the printing of a line. Various other forms of cams may be substituted for that shownas, for instance, the lower portion of the bar may be cut away and the lever be held to the upper surface of the slot by a spring. The action of the type upon the ribbon is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 4, in which the dotted lines show the impressions made upon the ribbon in producing the letters forming the various words. Each line of dots represents the letters of a word, the ribbon being shifted longitudinally or by the operation of the drums B between each wordthrough the action of the space-key. The

mannerin which this is accomplished is shown in Fig. 5. The drums B have each a ratchet- Wheel D attached thereto in any convenient manner and operated upon by a pawl E. This pawl is carried upon a rod or link c, 0 which is connected with a collar f, mounted upon a rod F, which extends transversely of the machine. The rod F has an arm F secured thereto and connected by means of a link g with one end of the space-lever G, so that whenever the space-key is operated the rod or rock-shaft F is vibrated, so as to operate the'pawl E and turn the ratchet-wheel D through the space of one tooth. The collar f is secured to the rock-shaft F by means of a slot in the shaft and a pin in the collar, so that the collar may be moved upon the shaft.

In the foregoing specification I have shown a form of construction which is at present preferred by me; butI do not, however, wish to be limited to this construction only, as it is possible to change the form of many of the parts by the substitution of substantial equivalents without exceeding the scope of the claims. In the claims the omission of an element or the omission of a reference to the tie tail features of the elements mentioned is intended to be a formal declaration of the fact that the omitted elements or features are not essential to the inventions therein severally covered.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a ribbon-holder, a platen-carriage, a plurality of cam-surfaces attached to said carriage for causing said ribbon-holder to move transversely both ways during the operation of printing and suitable connecting mechanism between said cam and said ribbon-holder.

2. In a type-writing machine the combination of a ribbon-holder, a platen-carriage, a plurality of cam-surfaces attached to said carriage for causing said ribbon -holder to move transversely both ways during the operation of printing, suitable connecting mechanism between said cam and said ribbonholder, a plurality of ribbon-spools and means for causing said spools to feed the ribbon longitudinally.

3. In a type-writing machine the combination of a plurality of ribbon-spools, pawl-andratchet mechanism for rotating said spools,

a vibrating ribbon-holder, a ribbon operatingbar connected with the type-keys and with said ribbon-holder, a space-key and connections between the space-key and the pawl-andratchet mechanism independent of the typekeys whereby the ribbon is fed forward when the space-key is operated but not when the type-keys are operated.

4:. In a typewriting machine, a ribbonholder means for vibrating said holder to and from the platen during the operation of printing to expose the print and means for vibrating said holder transversely to the line being printed.

5. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a vibrating ribbon-holder, means for vibrating said holder to expose the print, means for reciprocating said holder transversely during the operation of printing and means for feeding the ribbon longitudinally.

6. In a type-writing machine the combination of a platen, an inking-ribbon, means for vibrating said ribbon to and from the printing-point to expose the print and means for feeding the ribbon transversely to the. line of print during the operation of printing.

7. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a ribbon, a universal bar operated by the key-levers and a ribbon-operating bar by which the ribbonis vibrated to and from the printing-point at each impression of the types.

8. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a vibrating ribbon-holder, a bell-crank lever by which said holder is vibrated and a cam whereby said lever is operated and the ribbon is reciprocated transversely to the line of print, during the forward movement of the carriage in the operation of printing.

9. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, type-bars set in the arc of a circle to strike at a common printing-point in view of the operator, a scale or pressure bar capable of being moved to or from the surface of the platen, a vibrating ribbon-holder and means for vibrating said holder to and from the printing-point by the operation of the key-levers.

10. In a type-writing machine, the combination with means for moving an inking-ribbon widthwise of means for moving the ribbon lengthwise connected to and operated by the space-key of a carriage spacing mechanism whereby during the writing of a word the ribbon is moved widthwise and during the spacing between words the ribbon is moved lengthwise. I

11. In a type-writing machine, the combina tion of an inking-ribbon, a longitudinallytraveling paper-carriage, means attached to said carriage whereby the ribbon is moved back and forth transversely to the line of print during the forward movement of the carriage in the operation of printing and means for feeding the ribbon longitudinally.

12. In a type-writing machine the combina tion of ribbon-spools mounted on shafts fixed to the frame of the machine, a ribbon-holder intermediate between said spools through which said ribbon passes and means actuated by the movement of the platen-carriage for automatically moving said ribbon at the point of impression at an angle transversely to the line of print to present a new surface to the type.

13. In a visible-writing machine, the combination with a ribbon normally removed from and disclosing the printing-point, of means for automatically moving the ribbon crosswise over said printing-point, whereby the ribbon is used transversely of its length.

14. In a visible-writing machine, the combination with a ribbon normally removed from and disclosing the printing-point, of means for automatically moving the ribbon crosswise over said printing-point during the operation of the character-keys one after another.

15. In a visible-writing machine, the combination with a ribbon normally removed from and disclosing the printing-point, of means for automatically moving the ribbon crosswise over said printing-point, whereby the ribbon IIO ribbon to have a reeiprooatory step-by-step widthwise movement relatively to the printing-point, so that difierent transverse portions thereof cover the printing-point when the type impressions are made.

BYRON A. BROOKS. Witnesses:

H. L. REYNOLDS, CHARLES J. RATHJEN. 

